'CSI' welcomes William Petersen back, briefly

The original leader of "CSI" is coming back -- for at least a minute or two.

William Petersen, who starred on the CBS hit for its first eight-plus seasons, is set to make a brief appearance as Gil Grissom in an upcoming episode -- possibly the one airing Thursday (Feb. 3). EW reports that it's confirmed Petersen's cameo (contacted by Zap2it, a CBS rep had no comment), although it doesn't say when.

Examining the evidence on our own, though, it seems likely that Grissom will be back on screen on Thursday. It's a circumstantial case, but we think it's a pretty solid one.

Thursday's episode is called "The Two Mrs. Grissoms," and it involves a murder investigation that takes Sara (Jorja Fox) to the school for the deaf where Grissom's mother (guest star Phyllis Frelich) works. Marlee Matlin also guest-stars as a fellow faculty member and former girlfriend of Gil's -- whom mom clearly prefers over Sara.

That seems like a situation that's ripe for Grissom's reappearance. Also, take a look at the preview below -- it teases Grissom's presence so much that it'd almost be disappointing if we don't see him on screen. The clues seem to add up to Petersen making his return. Do you see it that way, and will you be watching?